Union garment and method of knitting same



(No ModeL') 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. OBRIBNN UNION GARMENT AND METHOD OF KNITTING SAME.

No. 527,216. Patented Oct. 9,1894.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W.'A. OBRIBN.

v UNION GARMENT AND METHOD OF KNITTING SAME.

No. 527,216. Patented Oct. 9,1894.

THE Noam: mans on. mow-L mo WASHINGYON. n. c

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

IVALTER A. OBRIEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

UNION GARMENT AND METHOD OF KNITTING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,216, dated October9, 1894.

Application filed April 27, 1894.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER A. OBRIEN, of Boston, county of Suffolk,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Union Garmentsand Methods of Knitting the Same, of which the followingdescription, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

Underwear when substantially seamless is more desirable and merchantablethan underwear with sewed seams, whether cut edge or selvage edge.

Union garments are now coming into favor,-

and dilferent methods of knitting the same have been devised in order toprovide the garment with the necessary fullness where fullness isrequired, but all such methods known to me necessitated the expenditureof somuch time in the knitting of the parts as to make a good uniongarment too expensive for the use of the general public, and the cost ofmanufacture is very much enhanced by reason of the great number ofwidened and narrowed selvages, and the sewing of selvage edges to formseams.

Union garments now commonly found in the market have a vertical seamfrom the neck down the back to below the waist, or, in other words, thegarment is made up in halves sewed together at the back.

In accordance with one method practiced in the production of uniongarments,the knitting is started at the bottom of the leg, and theselvage edge at one side of the web, produced by knitting one-half ofthe garment, is prolonged to and through the waist and back, to theneck, and to gain the necessary fullness required at and below thewaist-line at the back of the garment, it has been necessary to insert aback flap, and, inasmuch as the selvage edges of the two halves to beunited at the back are straight, it has been found necessary to knit theupper ends of. the back flaps tapering to a point, and these taperedpoints have been sewed into the back seam to a point above the waistline. In this class of fabric it has been further common, whereadditional fullness was desired over the hips, to divide the fabric ofeach half commencing at a point a little above the knee, and knittingthe said fabric as two webs,

Serial No. 509,189- (No modal.)

in doing so I have devised a method of knitting the same which I shallhereinafter describe, by which it is possible to economize veryconsiderable time, and consequently to reduce the cost of manufacture ofthe garment, and the garment when finished is unlike any other uniongarment known to me, and is more nearly seamless.

By my improved method of knitting union garments, it is possible toproduce such a garment without seam at the back from the bottom of thewaist up.

My improved garment has a seam from the bottom of the waist to the armscye directly over the hip, and from the top of the arm scye across tothe neck opening. Having knitted the leg part of a front from the ankleto the line of the bottom of the waist I transfer the stitches near oneend or the double row of needles laterally onto other needles,

thus providing some of the needles with two stitches. I then knit acourse or two on all the needles, and at the next course run thestitches off those needles on which the stitches were consolidated, thusleaving a row of loops, and I continue the knitting on the needles ofboth rows with a two and one rib until the waist for that half of thefront is of the proper length, when the needles left out of action formaking two and one rib are returned into action to make one and one rib,knitting from the top of the waist to the top of the garment. Leavingthe consolidated series of loops projecting from the front in the coursein line with the bottom of the waist, said loops being at that edge ofthe fabric which is to lie at the back of the Waist, is an importantpart of my invention, and said loops constitute a starting point for theback of the waist. The knitted course containing these loopsafteristarting the waist shows stitches of two characters, that part ofthe course from which the loops project showing two knitted walesbrought into one By consolidating said loops to form what I shalldesignate'as the waist start it is possible to leave aline of loopssufficiently less in number than the needles on which they were knittedprior to the consolidation, that when the loops of two halves of thegarment are picked onto the needles of both rows preparatory to knittingto said. loops the back of the waist, and to the waist the back of thegarment, there shall be leftbare between the waist start loops asufficient number of needles to receive loops or stitches of apreviously knitted double or two-ply back flap to be described, so thatthe central part of the back of the waist may be knitted directly to theback flap. This consolidation of the loops of the waist start to thusbring the loops extending from the shoulder or projection left at thatside oft-he garment may, and preferably will, be done by a transferringoperation before the loops are run off, and the transferring willpreferably be preceded by preparing the needles for two and one ribbing,but the loops may be run oif of a number of needles without beingtransferred, and be picked onto a less number of needles when the waiststarts of the two halves are to have the waist knitted to them and tohave the back of the waist knitted to the back flap, but such planalthough within the scope of my invention would result in an unnecessaryloss of time. The back flap used by me is knitted separately, andpreferably in one piece of uniformthickness from end to end, but withtwo pointed ends so that when used it may be folded transversely thestitches at the line of' fold being picked onto needles of the machine.in order that the back of thewaist may be: knitted toit. The back flappiece when doubled upon itself as stated, causes one end to. overlap theother, thus forming virtually-two; flaps, one co-operating with andextending from each leg, and instead of doubling the said back flapstrip upon itself and picking; its loops onto needles as described,myinven: tion would not be departed from if the said strip was actuallysevered transversely and: made into two separate pieces, each beingsubsequently applied to the machine needles between those holding theloops of the waist starts, but for cheapness and expeditionof; work theone piece doubled over-flap is preferred, and by the term two-ply asused in connection with the back flap, I meanto cover a back flapwhether in one or in two pieces.

In the manufacture of my improved garment I knit three separate pieces,two fronts, each having a waist start with looped edges pointing towardthe top ofthe garment, and

aback flap, such as described, and I then pick the loops at the waiststarts and at the back flap onto the machine needles, and

" commence knitting a fourth piece to'constitute the back of the waistand back. of the garment above it, the knitting of the backof the waistuniting all three pieces without a seam at theback, and without puttinga tapered or any pointed gore in the waist at the back.

In most instances of my invention I prefer to knit the back flap strip alittle narrower near its center than at its ends, but in some instanceswhere great fullness is required at the back below the waist, I may knitof full width the part of the back flap which is to be picked onto themachine needles to have the back of the waist knitted to it, and inpicking the loops of the back flap on, I may consolidate said loops ontoa less number of needles.

By my improved method of knitting union garments, it is possible to formthe leg without seam at the side of the hip, and also to make the frontof the garment so wide-as to fully cover and avoid the use of aso-called front flap, and also of such width to avoid the use of goresat the front where it covers the bust and the garment across and aboutthe hips is free to stretch without any interruption, as in ordinary oneand one rib knitting.

Figure 1 shows in front view a garment embodying my invention; Fig. 2, aback View;

Fig. 3, a view of one of the separate pieces of my improved garment, itconstituting the leg and the front of one half of the garment. Fig. 4shows a corresponding piece for the other half of the garment. Fig. 5shows the back flap in the condition in which it is-pref- I erably leftby knitting. Fig. 6 shows the back flap doubled on itself in the line:13. Fig. 7 shows the back flap and sides shown in Figs. 3 and 4, asbrought together and as having had the back of the garment, includingthe back of the waist, knitted to them.

My garment will preferably be knitted on a machine containing two rowsofsliding nee-- dles adapted to cross each other, a machine,

say, of what is commonly known as the Lamb type, it being run for mywork to knit a flat Web, the web being, however, widened and narrowed,as will be described.

For the production of mynovel union garment, I select a machine havingtwo rows of needles, as stated, a machine having as'many needles asthere are loops to bemade in the widest course of knitting to beproduced in either of the three separate pieces of fabric entering intothe garment to be made, the

widest courses being in what I denominate the fronts or front halves ofthe fabric, and

at substantially the bottom line of the waist. Myimp'roved garment has aright front and a left front, made separately and commonly set up atdifferent ends of the rows of needles, and as the right front and theleft front are produced in like manner and difler only 'in that thewaist start of one front projects from the right hand edge,and the waiststart of the other front from the left hand edge, I need, therefore,specifically describe but-one front, and in so doing shall refer chieflyto the front shown in Fig.- 3.-

By my improved method, and to reduce to.

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on both rows of needles in usual manner enough loops to start the bottomof the ankle, and I knit from the end a to the point I), which forms thetop of the ankle. I then add at each side the needles first employed,additional needles to widen the web from b to c, to thus fit the calf ofthe leg, and from the point e to the point cl I may knit the web ofsubstantially uniform width, but at the point at I commence again towiden, adding gradually preferably at one selvage edge, viz :'the edgewhich is to constitute the open edge of the front of the garment,additional needles, to thus widen the fabric from d to e, so that theweb when united in a garment will amply cover the larger part of thethigh and front of the'body. From the point e to the line f, f, Imay'knit the web, as shown, of substantially uniform width, or I maynarrow the same slightly at that selvage which is to come at the back ofthe garment below the waist,

as represented by the dotted line 10. On

arriving, however, at the line f, f, I have brought into operation, itmay be supposed, all the needles which I need for the broadest course inthe front, and at that point in most instances I shall have in usesubstantially all the needles of the machine. Now an important step ofmy invention comes in, viz: I want to make a waist start or to leave aportion of the fabric or web to project as a shoulder or corner andpresent a consolidated series of loops, so that at a later period afterthe front half of the garment has been finished and run off the needlesI may again commence knitting at the waist starts and knit to the loopsthereof the back of the waist.

The fabric produced between the points at and Prior to my invention I amnot aware of any union garment which in the process of its productionhas ever presented a waist start, the term used by me to cover thecorher or space included within the bracket to, Fig. 4:, it presenting aset of loops consolidated to present loops of less number than theneedles used to make the shoulder from which said loops project, saidloops being adapted, as stated,to be picked onto needles.

As further illustrating my invention, let it be assumed that I amknitting a size 34: garment and that in the course f, f, I had broughtinto action substantially all the needles of both rows of needles in themachine, that is, two hundred and seventy-six needles, or one hundredand thirty-eight needles in the front row and one hundred andthirtyeight needles in the back row, and, desiring to make the waiststarts and then continue the knitting for the front of the waist and thebust covering portion above it, I stop the machine and with atransferring comb transfer the loops from each alternate ne dle in theback row of needles upon the agjacent needle in the back row, and I thenpull down or out of action the needles which have been divested of theirloops, and then, coming to the front row of needles, one hundred andthirty-eight in number, and, sup posing that the loops on fifty-two ofsaid front row of needles are to be utilized in the production of thewaist starts, I transfer, as above described, the loops from alternateneedles of the fifty-two needles laterally, and put them onto, say,twenty-six needles, thus leaving twenty-six needles bare from f tofwaist I preferring at that point to knit a two and one rib, as such arib effects a contraction of the fabric for the waist, and I knit thewebor fabric fromfif' to g, the line of the top of the waist, and then Ipreferably return into action the forty-three needles previously drawndown in the back row, and let them come into operation in knitting thebust covering part of the front to the top of the garment, that part ofthe web being preferably a one and one rib, but it desiredl may givemore space at the arm scye by narrowing one selvage of the bust coveringpart, as from h to t.

The back flap D, see Fig. 5, where it is laid out flat, may be commencedat one end and be gradually widened and then knitted for some distanceof substantially uniform width, and then be again narrowed and widened,and then be knitted again of substantially uniform Width, and be againnarrowed rather abruptly to make a second pointed end tapered, however,oppositely from the taper of the end at which the knitting wascommenced, see Figs. 6 and 7, said back flap when to be used, beingoverlapped in the line a: Fig. 5, so that its loops at that point maybepicked onto those needles of the machine which are located between theneedles upon which are picked the loops at the waist starts. The backflap need not, however, be narrowed and widened centrally as indicatedin Fig. 5, but may be knitted of uniform width from 12 to 14, andseparated or not, as desired, in the line as, the loops, however, atthat line being picked onto a less number of needles of the machinepreparatory to knitting the back of the waist.

The back flap in the line r-x, when narrower at the middle of itslength, as shown in Fig. 5, may have about fifty-two stitches requiringfifty-two needles, and it will be obvious thatif the stitches of thewaist starts were not consolidated, the operator could not put the loopsof two waist starts onto the loops between the loops of the waiststarts,

proper length for the garment.

that the compacting of the loops at the waist starts is done, and Ipreferably tran sferand compact these loops before running them off theneedles, for otherwise the loops would have to be picked on separatelyto the needles when theback of the waist was to be commenced, and thentransferred systematically onto the proper number of needles, all ofwhich would require a very considerable expenditure of time.

The consolidated loops of the waist starts having been picked onto anumber of needles of the machine less than the number holding yarn atthat point when the widest course was knitted in the linefif', and theloops of the upper end of the back flap, preferably one and one ribbedknitted having also been picked onto the two rows of needles. so thatthe back flap loops occupy the space between the loops of the waiststarts of the two fronts or halves of the fabric, said loops all havingbeen picked onto the needles in the line 0 -0 Fig. 7, the knitting willbe commenced, and the waist from o to 'n will be knitted with preferablya two and one rib as a continuation not only of the waist starts, butalso of the upper end of the back flap, and a waist having been knittedfor the proper length, the knitting will preferably be continued as aone and one rib from n to p, to constitute the back or shoulder coveringportion of The back of the waist and the back above it having beenknitted to the back flap and waist starts, as represented in Fig. 7, Icomplete the garment as follows: I stitch together the legs, the selvageat one edge of a leg to the selvage at its other edge from about theline a to d. Then I stitch the outer edges 'r, r, of the flap to theselvage edges from d to f of the two leg portions, knitted rights andlefts, and preferably the selvage edge of the overlying half of the flapfrom r to r is connected to the selvage edge of the leg below the centerof the waist, I having shown, as I prefer, the connections as madewholly below the fabric constituting the waist of the garment. The edgesof the flap from 3 to 4, see Figs. 6 and 7, are joined each to theproper leg from about the point 6 down to at or a little below d.

Fig. 7 shows the edges of the flap unattached and the fabric for thelegs laid out flat, but said edges will be brought together and united,as specified, and shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Seams must then be made tounite the back of the waist to the front parts of the'waist under thearm scye, and the edges of the back to the edges of the fronts to thebottom of the arm scye, and then the upper ends of the two front partsmay be united to the back to form the shoulders, leaving suitableopenings or spaces for the neck. The sleeves, made in usual manner, maybe then united to the body of the garment at the arm scye.

Fig. 2 shows the fabric united to form my improved garment, the seriesof vertical lines showing the two and one rib waist.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the fashion or shape that the separate parts in Figs.3 to 7 assume when knitted as described, and united to complete thegarment.

By the term two-ply when used with relation to the back flap, I mean onelayer of back flap overlapping another layer.

Having described my invent-ion, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A union garment comprising a piece A containing one leg and part ofthe front of the garment, a piece B containing the other leg and theother part of the front of the garment, the back, and a back flap foldedupon itself and united to the waist portion at its line of fold and alsounited to the leg portions along opposite edges and having its adjacentsides overlapped, substantially as described.

2. A union garment comprising a piece A containing one leg and part ofthe front of the garment, a piece B containing the other leg and theother part of the front of the garment, the back, and a back flapterminating in oppositely tapered ends and folded upon itself and unitedto the waist portion at its line of fold and also united to the legportions along opposite edges and havingits adjacent sides overlapped,substantially'as described.

3. The herein described union garment, it being composed essentially oftwo halves or fronts, each presenting fabric to surround and cover a legand substantially one-half of the front of the waist and bust above,and" each half having a waist start presenting a series of loopsconsolidated in the line of the bottom of the waist; a two-ply back flaphaving. its upper end in the line of the bottom.

of the waist, and a piece of fabric knitted to the waist starts and tothe upper end of the back flap to constitute the back of the waist andthe back and shoulder covering portion above it, said piece of fabrichavingselvage edges adapted to be joined with the selvage edges of eachpart of the front under the starts toward the top of the garment to forma bust covering portion, running the loops of the bust covering portionoff the needles, knitting a back flap, picking the loops thereof and ofthe waist starts of the two halves of the fabric onto needles in thesame row, knitting the fabric to cover the back from the waist starts tothe neck, and uniting the back flap doubled upon itself to the legcovering portions of the two halves, and thereafter uniting portions ofeach leg to other portions thereof from the ankle up to the lower endsof the back flap, substantially as described.

5. The herein described steps in the method of knitting union garmentswhich comprehends knitting separately the two halves A,

B, of the garment, each of the proper width and shape up substantiallyto the bottom of the waist line at the back, running the loops off fromsome needles to leave loops to constitute waist starts, continuing theknitting at one side the waist starts toward the top of the garment toform a bust covering portion, running the loops of the bust coveringportion off the needles,'knitting a two-ply back flap, picking the loopsof the back flap onto needles, picking the loops of the waist startsonto other needles in the same row, said needles being less in numberthan the needles the said loops were made upon, knitting the back of thegarment to the, said waist starts and to the said back flap, andthereafter uniting the edges of the back flap to each leg coveringportion, uniting the selvages of the leg covering parts of the twohalves each to the other from the ankle to the lower end of the backflap, and uniting the main part of the back and of the bust coveringportion to the arm scye, substantially as described.

6. The herein described method of knitting union garments, whichconsists in knitting separately the two halves A, B, of the garment ofthe proper width and shape up subpicking the loops of the waist startsonto other needles in the same row and upon a less number of needlesthan the said loops were made upon; knitting the back of the waist tothe said waist starts and to the said back flap, and knitting the backof the garment to the back of the waist, and thereafter uniting the twofront halves each to itself for a part of its length to form suitablelegs; uniting the edges of the back fiap to each leg, and

uniting the main part of the back and of the.

back of the waist to the fronts above the bottom of the waist,substantially as described.

'7. In the manufacture of union garments, the method of knitting the webor fabric for a leg and front, which comprehends knitting the leg,widening the web as described to substantially the widest course for thetop of the hip, then transferring part of the loops to change thecharacter of the knitting for the waist, and consolidating the loops forpart of the width of the web, running the loops off for part of thewidth of the web to leave a waist start, and then continuing theknitting for the front of the waist and the bust covering part of saidfront, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

Y WALTER A. OBRIEN. Witnesses:

LAURA '1. MANIX, EMMA J. BENNETT.

